Communication Difficulties
by Bluebird88
Summary: Hermione Granger has always told her parents everything – sometimes more than they might care to hear. As she enters the magical world, however, she finds herself struggling more and more to find things that are safe to write about.
1. A Whole New World

**Communication Difficulties**

by Bluebird88

**Disclaimer:** The Harry Potter Universe belongs to J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended.

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_**1st September, 1991**_

Dear Mum and Dad,

I'm writing from the Hogwarts Express. I've just been to see the conductor, and he said we're nearly there. I expect we'll arrive within the hour. I'm terribly excited, of course, but a bit nervous as well. I just wish I knew more about Hogwarts. I've been re-reading _Hogwarts, A History,_ but as this is the tenth time I've read it, I've not really found anything new.

I _do_ wish I knew which house I'd be sorted into. You know, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin, of course. I think I'd really like to be in Gryffindor. It sounds by far the best. I read in _Modern Magical History_ that Albus Dumbledore himself was in Gryffindor. You remember, Dumbledore is the headmaster of Hogwarts. I'm sure I've told you that.

I suppose I'd be pleased enough with Ravenclaw, as well, but I do hope I'm not put in Slytherin. I've met several students from that house already, and they aren't exactly the most pleasant people I've ever met. Hufflepuff doesn't seem to have a very good reputation, either, but I expect most of that is unfair. I mean, it isn't as though there's anything _wrong _with being loyal and hard-working, is there?

I _would _like to know how they sort us into houses, though. I've searched looked through every book I could find, but none of them has been very clear on that point. Honestly, I'm a bit worried about that part. I've heard rumours that it's to be some sort of test. What if I don't know what to do? I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, but what if that isn't enough? I suppose there's no use worrying. I'm sure to do better if I'm relaxed.

I'll write again tonight let you know what's happened with the sorting.

All my love,

Hermione

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**_2nd September, 1991_**

Dear Mum and Dad,

I'm sorry I didn't write you last night, but I'm afraid I fell asleep as soon as I had a free moment.

All those rumours about the Sorting Ceremony turned out to be complete rubbish. I suppose I should have known. It was probably just the older students trying to make first years nervous. All we had to do was try on a hat. Well, not an ordinary hat, of course, an enchanted one. It was really all quite odd, though I expect I'll have to get used to that sort of thing, if I'm to be living in the magical world now. It was this old, battered witch's hat that sang a song describing each of the four houses. Professor McGonagall (the Deputy Headmistress, you know) called our names, and we had to sit on a stool and put the hat on our heads, and it looked into our minds and decided which house we'd better be in. It thought about putting me in Ravenclaw, but in the end, it decided on Gryffindor. I was ever so pleased!

The feast was incredible! I've never seen so much good food in my life! It all just appeared out of nowhere after the Headmaster finished speaking, onto huge golden serving dishes. Truly a spectacular sight.

The other girls in my year seem nice enough, if a bit silly. Their names are Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown. Two boys I met on the train, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, were also sorted into Gryffindor. You remember I told you about Harry Potter, don't you? You know, the boy who defeated You-Know-Who when he was only a baby? Anyway, Harry seems nice enough, but Ron can be such a _boy_ sometimes. It's positively infuriating! I haven't really met the other boys, yet, but I expect I will soon enough. I spent most of the feast talking to Ron's older brother, Percy. He's a prefect, and he sounds very knowledgeable. He was able to answer a lot of my questions about what our lessons will be like, so I was very glad to have been seated near him.

We start classes today, and I'm terribly anxious to learn as much as I can about the wizarding world. Many of the students here come from magical families, and they're sure to have been exposed to these subjects their whole lives. I do hope I'm not _too_ behind!

All my love,

Hermione

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_**6th September, 1991**_

Dear Mum and Dad,

Sometimes still catch myself expecting to wake up and find that this has all just been a strange dream. I've finished my first week of classes, and I've so much to tell you! Of course, classes here are very different from those in the Muggle world. It will take a bit of getting used to, I imagine.

Every Wednesday at midnight, we have Astronomy lessons up on the tallest tower. There's so much to learn, and you'd never have dreamt how important it can all be in understanding other branches of magic. It _does _seem a bit odd, though, to have a class so late at night. But then, I suppose my old school didn't exactly have talking portraits, or moving photographs, or suits of armour that could walk, either!

Herbology was simply fascinating as well. We've already dealt with many of the plants I read about in _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_, and we're learning all about how to recognize and care for them, and of course all about their different magical properties.

History of Magic is actually taught by a ghost - can you imagine? Of course, the ghosts here aren't anything like the ones in the stories I read when I was small. According to Percy, Professor Binns began teaching at Hogwarts ages ago, and didn't see any reason to stop just because he'd died. (Some of the students here are convinced that he doesn't even realize that he's dead, but that's all just ridiculous gossip, I'm sure). I'll admit, his style of lecture can be a touch dry, but I really don't mind at all, because it's such an interesting subject! It really gives a new perspective to all the Muggle history I thought I already knew, too. For example, did you know that the First World War was really the backlash of a magical war against an evil wizard?

I can already tell that I'm going to love Charms. It's taught by a tiny little wizard, who I suppose must have a bit of goblin blood. I can't wait to learn all the useful little spells he's described. You wouldn't believe how much wizards and witches rely on magic, even for the most everyday things!

My favourite class by far is Transfiguration. You know, turning something into something else, of course. Professor McGonagall, our teacher, is terribly clever. Transfiguration itself is really quite complicated. At the end of our first class, we were allowed to begin trying to turn a match into a needle. It's very difficult, and I was a _bit _disappointed that I didn't manage it entirely, but my match _did _turn silver, and the end was quite pointy, so I think next time I'll have it down. Professor McGonagall was very pleased, anyway, so I suppose that's all right.

Defence Against the Dark Arts was a bit of a surprise. I was so looking forward to it, as it's terribly important, you know, to be able to defend oneself against the more sinister sorts of things one finds in the magical world. Professor Quirrell, though, is rather an odd sort of man. He seems rather nervous, and he doesn't seem too keen on his own subject to be honest. I suppose that's understandable, as he must have encountered some awfully terrifying things in his past, but I confess I was a little disappointed. I suppose I'll just have to learn as much as I can from him, and perhaps find some other books for background reading. And really, he isn't so terrible a teacher as the other Gryffindors make him out to be. They _are _rather prone to exaggerating, I think.

Our last new class was potions. Professor Snape, who is also head of Slytherin house, was terribly unfair. He favours his own house shamelessly, and doesn't think too well of Gryffindor at _all._ Still, I can see that he's going to be a very challenging teacher. I'm sure I'll have to work very hard in his class, but I want so much to learn all there is to know about potions, that I'm really rather excited.. I think I'll visit the library this weekend, to see if I can find some good supplementary reading. It certainly can't hurt to be well-prepared, after all.

I miss you both, of course, but I'm terribly excited to be here. I hope you're doing well. Oh, and Mum, do you think you could send me a few more jumpers? We're allowed to wear our own clothes on the weekends and such, and it's much colder here than I expected.

All my love,

Hermione

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**A/N: **Any feedback is more than welcome!


	2. Terrifying Encounters and New Friends

**Disclaimer: **The Harry Potter universe is the property of J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended.

**A/N: **I've been having some major formatting issues with this story - I had strikethroughs (crossed out text) formatted in several places throughout, but none of them are showing up properly. I've been debating whether or not to post this chapter anyway, and decided that it wasn't fair to anyone who might care to post a chapter and then remove it. If anyone happens to know how to get strikethroughs to work on this site, I'd very much appreciate it if they dropped me a line.

For now, though, --**_bold italics-- _**indicate writing that has been crossed out. I hope it isn't too bothersome.

And now...on with the story...

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**_13th September, 1991_**

Dear Mum and Dad,

We had our first flying lesson yesterday. You know, on broomsticks, of course. --**_I was complete rubbish at it--_** It's a bit more difficult than I expected. I read all about it beforehand in _Quidditch Through the Ages_, but it's not easy to learn a sport out of a book. I never have been much of an athlete, though, and I'm not wild about heights, either, so I wasn't _too_ disappointed.

The whole wizarding world is simply mad about Quidditch – it can get a bit annoying, really, the way some of the boys go on about it. I suppose some things don't change, no matter where you live.

Yesterday night, **_-- I was very nearly killed by a three headed dog--_** I met an interesting new creature – a dog, with three heads! It was like something out of Greek mythology! Utterly fascinating! I know it sounds a bit dangerous, but don't worry, we**_ --managed to escape with our lives--_** were perfectly safe. We were--**_trapped outside the common room after curfew--_** exploring the castle a bit, and we stumbled upon it. It truly is amazing, the sorts of things one can happen upon in this castle.

Anyway, **_--I'm not speaking to Ron and Harry, at the moment, on account of them almost getting me killed--_** I don't think I'd particularly want one for a pet, but it was an interesting experience, all the same.

Other than that, there isn't very much news to report here. I was terribly excited to get our first essays back. It's always nice to see that one's hard work has paid off. Professor Snape **_--hates me-- --nearly made me cry yesterday--_** is tremendously hard to please, but it _is_ a bit of a thrill when he doesn't find any fault with a paper. Transfiguration is still by far the best. I managed to turn a feather into a daisy yesterday on the first try, and earned five points for Gryffindor. I do so enjoy my classes here. Every day, we're presented with so much new material, that I don't see how we'll ever be able to learn everything in only seven years.

How are things at home? (Daddy, you _have _remembered to feed Mr. Darcy, haven't you? The fish food is in the top drawer of my desk, don't forget).

All my love,  
Hermione

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**_20th September, 1991_**

Dear Mum and Dad,

Thank you so much for the lovely set of books. I didn't realize how much I've missed Muggle literature until they came. We couldn't make a big fuss over my birthday here at Hogwarts, of course, because **_--no one else knew it was today--_** we had classes, but it was a lovely day nonetheless. It seems strange to think that this was the first time I've not been home for my birthday. _**--I was terribly homesick-- --I almost wish I hadn't come to Hogw--**_ I suppose that's just part of getting older. I did miss Mum's bread pudding awfully, though.

I hope everything is going well at home. I suppose you're both busy at the office these days? I miss you.

All my love,  
Hermione

* * *

**_1st November, 1991_**

Dear Mum and Dad,

I'm sorry I haven't written lately. I've been terribly busy with schoolwork, lately. Our lessons have gotten much more challenging recently, now that we've really started to master the basics. Yesterday morning was very exciting for us. Our Charms teacher, (I'm sure you remember I told you about him earlier – Professor Flitwick?) finally decided we were ready to learn how to make objects fly. We started small of course, just with feathers, but it was still wonderfully exciting. I managed to make the feather float right away. It was so nice. Professor Flitwick was very pleased, though Ron was a bit annoyed with me, and _**--I spent the whole rest of the evening in the girls' toilet crying because of the comment he made about me after class. It was the loneliest I've felt since I arrived--**_ the other Gryffindors were happy about the points I earned.

The Hallowe'en feast was incredible. **_--Or so I heard. I never did make it there. While I was in the loo, an enormous mountain troll came in and tried to smash me with his club, until Harry and Ron came in and rescued me Then, for the first time in my life, I told an outright lie to a teacher. I was mortified, of course, that anyone could think me so foolish as to believe that I'd actually gone looking for the troll, but it was worth it nonetheless--_** The Great Hall was filled with live bats, and decorated with enormous pumpkins that Hagrid, the groundskeeper, had grown behind his hut. There were hundreds of good things to eat, and the whole room smelled deliciously of baked pumpkin.

The best part by far though, was that Harry, Ron, and I _**--bonded over yet another near-death experience--**_ got to talking, and I've found that they're really very nice. I think we'll be quite good friends from now on.

I hope you both are enjoying the autumn season (Happy anniversary, by the way! I hope you two did something romantic!)

All my love,  
Hermione

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**A/N: **Any feedback is more than welcome! 


	3. Broomstick Trouble

**Disclaimer: **The Harry Potter Universe is the property of J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended.

**A/N: **Once again, **_--bold italics--_** indicates text that has been crossed out.

* * *

_9th November, 1991_

Dear Mum and Dad,

Yesterday was the first Quidditch match of the year. Honestly, the way the school carries on the day of a match, you'd think the future of the wizarding world depended on the outcome. I mean, it's quite an interesting game to watch, but it _is _only a game, after all. Clearly, though, the boys don't see it that way. Actually, Ron almost suffered heart failure when I mentioned it. I honestly hadn't thought a person could go quite so red in the face without suffering medical repercussions.

Harry is the Seeker for the Gryffindor team (you know, the player whose job it is to catch the tiny golden snitch). He played very well, though he did **_--nearly fall off his broom and break his neck-- _**give us a bit of a scare when his broom began **_--trying to buck him off--_** behaving rather oddly. Don't worry, though, everything turned out all right in the end. Harry managed to get it back under control **_--after I set fire to Professor Snape's robes to force him to break eye contact--_** and there was no harm done. I'm sure **_--Professor Snape was trying to kill him--_** it was just an accident.

Despite the trouble with the broomstick, though, Harry did catch the snitch first, so the Gryffindors were all terribly pleased to have won the match. Actually, most of the rest of the school was pleased, as well. Slytherin _is _rather an unpopular house, you know.

We also learned something interesting from Hagrid after the match. You remember the **_--vicious--_** three-headed dog I mentioned last month? Turns out, it belongs to Hagrid. He's named it _fluffy, _of all things. Isn't that **_--the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard-- _**funny? We **_--found out that someone called Nicolas Flamel is involved in whatever Fluffy's guarding-- _**all had a nice chat.

I miss you both!

All my love,

Hermione

* * *

_10th December, 1991_

Dear Mum and Dad,

The castle is so beautiful this time of year. I wish you could see it. It _does_ get terribly drafty in the classrooms, though, especially in the dungeons.

I can hardly believe that we're nearly finished with our first term at Hogwarts. It seems like only yesterday that I was worrying about being sorted. And yet, sometimes I can hardly remember what it was like not knowing about magic. We've been kept very busy these last few weeks, trying to fit in as much new material as possible before term ends.

I'm looking forward to the Christmas holidays, and to coming home for a visit. I expect I'll have much more to tell you when I get there.

All my love,

Hermione

* * *

_21st December, 1991_

Dear Mum and Dad,

Only two days left until the end of term! I'm very pleased with the way my classes have gone so far, and I'm so looking forward to coming home for a bit. The Christmas decorations here are simply amazing! I've never seen anything so beautiful. There are twelve enormous trees in the great hall, and everything is highly decorated - holly and mistletoe, glowing candles and sparkling icicles everywhere! Simply breathtaking!

Ron and Harry are both staying here for Christmas. I'd be disappointed not to be going home, but Harry doesn't seem to mind. Actually, I don't think he and his relatives get along very well. He **_--keeps mentioning something about a cupboard--_** doesn't talk about them very much. Ron's parents are going to Romania to visit his older brother, Charlie. I do wish I could meet Ron's family. It would be so fascinating to meet more adult wizards and witches, and learn about the different careers in the magical world.

I'll see you both soon!

All my love,

Hermione

* * *

**A/N:** Any feedback is more than welcome! 


	4. Mounting Tension

**Disclaimer: **The Harry Potter universe belongs to J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended.

**A/N:** Once again, **_--bold italics-- _**indicate text that has been ncrossed out.

**

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**

22nd February, 1992

Dear Mum and Dad,

A few days ago, we **_--found out that Dumbledore is keeping a highly valuable magical artifact hidden inside the school--_** heard about a wizard called Nicolas Flamel, an old friend of Dumbledore's. Apparently, he and Dumbledore worked together on **_--the Philosopher's stone--_** an alchemy project. We think **_--Snape is going to steal it--_** he sounds very interesting, and we are eager to learn more about him.

Harry played in the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff today. Ron and I were **_--terrified--_** a bit nervous for Harry, because Professor Snape was refereeing the match, and we were sure that he must have volunteered just so that he could **_--murder Harry--_** make unfair calls.

Luckily, though, Harry caught the snitch very quickly. I think the rest of the school was actually a bit disappointed that the match had ended so quickly. I'll admit, it wasn't terribly exciting, but we were very pleased for Harry, and relieved that everything went well.

Classes are going well, and nothing terribly exciting has happened here recently. **_--except overhearing Snape trying to intimidate Quirrell into telling him how to get past the protections on the Stone--_**

Please let me know how everything is at home!

All my love,

Hermione

* * *

23rd March, 1992 

Dear Mum and Dad,

I simply cannot believe how quickly time has passed. Exams are only ten weeks away, and I've not yet begun to study! _How_ could I have let time get away from me like this? I'm terribly worried that I won't be prepared in time. I've started revising right away, of course, and begun organizing my notes, but I'm still quite nervous. I simply can't believe I could have been so careless! These exam grades are so important. I can't imagine what I'd do if I've failed. I'll have to work very hard to be ready in time. I do hope it's enough!

All my love,

Hermione

* * *

25th April , 1992 

Dear Mum and Dad,

Today Harry, Ron, and I went to visit Hagrid. He's found a new pet. It's a particularly rare**_ --species of dragon--_** sort of magical creature that he's named Norbert. He's only a baby right now, but he's already **_--incredibly dangerous--_** quite beautiful and **_--highly illegal--_** very interesting to observe. Hagrid is simply mad about him. But then, he always did have a bit of a soft spot for **_--terrifying creatures--_** all sorts of animals. We're all **_--afraid that someone will find out about Norbert and have Hagrid sacked-- _**quite amused at the way Hagrid carries on about his new pet.

All my love,

Hermione

* * *

10th May, 1992 

Dear Mum and Dad,

Last night, Harry and I **_--were nearly expelled again--_** met a few of Charlie Weasley's friends. They had come to Hogwarts in order to take Norbert to be released into the wild. You see, Norbert had grown a bit too large to be kept in Hagrid's house, and **_--Malfoy had found out that Hagrid was in possession of an illegal magical creature-- _**he decided that it would be better for Norbert to be with his own kind.

Ron would have liked to come with us, but he decided he'd better go to the hospital wing after _**--Norbert bit a chunk out of his arm--**_ suffering a bit of a bite. It was **_--swollen and had turned the most revolting shade of green-- _**nothing too serious, but Ron decided it would be safer to let Madam Pomfrey take a look at it.

Harry and I **_--snuck out after curfew --_** met Charlie's friends at the astronomy tower and said **_--good riddance-- _**good-bye to Norbert. We were **_--panicking--_** briefly concerned afterwards, because **_--Professor McGonagall had spotted us--_** Harry left his cloak up on the tower, but in the end, **_--we lost one hundred and fifty points from Gryffindor and convinced Neville, who'd only been being a friend, that we had involved him in a prank--_** everything turned out fine. **_--Ron is currently the only Gryffindor who is speaking to us--_**

All my love,

Hermione

* * *

27th May, 1992 

Dear Mum and Dad,

Yesterday Harry and I went into the **_--Forbidden Forest--_** forest next to Hogwarts in order to**_ --serve our detention-- _**do Hagrid a favor. We were helping him look for a unicorn that had been **_--slaughtered so that someone could drink its blood--_** injured. Harry finally spotted it, **_--along with the most evil wizard in history-- _**but the poor thing had already died. It was _**--the most terrifying thing I've ever experienced--**_ terribly sad.

On a happier note, though, we did meet yet another interesting creature. Apparently, there are centaurs living in the forest. (You know, creatures with the body of a horse and the head and torso of a man, of course). They were terribly interesting, and **_--saved Harry's life and warned him that You-Know-Who was trying to kill him--_** quite friendly.

Term is almost over, you know. I'm looking forward to seeing you both again! **_--If I survive that long--_**

All my love,

Hermione

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**A/N: **Any feedback is more than welcome! 


	5. Year's End

**Disclaimer:** The Harry Potter universe belongs to J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended.

**A/N: **One again, **_--bold italics--_** indicate text that has been crossed out.

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31st May, 1992

Dear Mum and Dad,

I'm ever so nervous about my exams. They begin tomorrow, you know. I've been revising endlessly, but **_--I've been a bit distracted thinking about the Philosopher's stone, and Snape trying to kill Harry, and smuggling illegal dragons out of the castle, and whatnot--_** I'm not certain if it will be enough. I don't have much time to write, of course, because I want to go look over my notes again.

Wish me luck!

All my love,

Hermione

* * *

9th June, 1992

Dear Mum and Dad,

I'm very pleased to say that all the older years have been drastically exaggerating the difficulty of Hogwarts examinations. I found them much easier than I expected. I'm quite pleased with the way things went. I can't be sure, of course, until we get our results, but I think I did rather well.

Harry, Ron, and I had _**--yet another near-death experience--**_ a bit of an interesting day on Thursday. Since our last exam was finished, we went to talk to Hagrid. He told us _**--that he'd unwittingly told a mysterious stranger how to get past Fluffy-- **_an interesting piece of trivia about the castle, so we decided we'd**_ --better try to stop Snape from stealing the Philosopher's Stone in order to bring You-Know-Who back to life--_** do a bit of exploring.

There are so many fascinating things hidden throughout Hogwarts. For example, we **_--were nearly strangled by a plant--_** found a rare species of plant, and Harry **_--had to sort through hundreds of enchanted keys to find one that would open a door leading to who-knew-what new danger--_** got a chance to do a bit of flying. Afterwards, Ron **_--was backhanded by an enormous stone queen--_** bumped his head, and **_--fell to the ground, unconscious--_** decided to rest for a bit. Harry and I solved a tricky logic puzzle, **_--in which a mistake would lead to certain death--_** and I decided to go back with Ron.**_ --to fetch Dumbledore while Harry went on alone to face the wizard who'd killed his parents--_**

Sadly, we found out a few days ago that Professor Quirrell _**--had been sharing a body with You-Know-Who all year long and tried to murder Harry--**_ had a terrible accident and **_--was in so much agony at Harry's touch that he eventually died--_** had to leave Hogwarts. Luckily,**_ --Harry pulled through, after lying unconscious in hospital for several days--_** no one else was injured.

Yesterday was the leaving feast, and it was a terribly exciting evening for Gryffindor. Slytherin had been in the lead for ages, but Dumbledore awarded us enough last-minute points to put us in the lead. We were ever so pleased to have won, of course.

It will be so nice to see you again! All things considered, though, my first year at Hogwarts has been **_--terrifying-- --dangerous-- --completely absurd-- --a real adventure--_** simply wonderful.

All my love,

Hermione

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**A/N: **Any feedback is more than welcome! 


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